Entertainment

10 greatest honorary 'SNL' cast members

The legendary Saturday Night Live has led an enormous wave of talent through its doors in the past 40 years, but some guests have made more of an impact than others.

While most stars are lucky enough to host just once or twice over their careers, some return over and over again — creating recurring characters, bonding with the cast, and making true live television magic.

SNL writers acknowledged the special nature of these hosts when created the Five-Timer Club in 1990 after Tom Hanks joined the exclusive group with members like Alec Baldwin and Chevy Chase.

So for SNL's 40th anniversary, here is a run-down of the best honorary cast members to grace the stage at Rockefeller Center, the stars who brought more than just their beautiful faces to Studio 8-H and made an enduring stamp on the New York institution.

Honorary SNL castmembers

1. Alec Baldwin

The man, the legend, the 16-time host of SNL. Baldwin starred in some of the most iconic late-night sketches of all time, like schweddy balls and "Bill Brasky," before co-starring with former head writer for SNL Tina Fey in 30 Rock.

2. John Goodman

3. Christopher Walken

Seen here proclaiming his enduring funkiness, 7-time host Christopher Walken is a noted song-and-dance man, but his most memorable contribution to SNL history is as producer Bruce Dickenson, who just wants a little more cowbell.

4. Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore was the youngest person ever to host the show at age 7 in 1982. She has since returned five more times as an adult, getting into a hot tub with Will Ferrell, working out 80's style in Body Fuzion and appearing as herself on Weekend Update.

6. Candice Bergen

The last time Candice Bergen hosted SNL was in 1990, but that doesn't detract from her 15 years of work with the sketch comedy group, producing sketches with the likes of Gilda Radner and Toonces the cat.

7. Steve Martin

Martin has hosted SNL so many times, you could be forgiven for thinking he was a full-time member of the cast. Not only has he appeared 15 times as the host, but he's also shown up a record 27 times as a guest, playing a multitude of characters who rank among SNL's best: The Festrunk Brothers,The Three Amigos and King Tut.

8. Elliott Gould

Gould's last hosting gig was the opener for the show's disastrous Lorne Michael-less 6th season. That alone would make him a memorable host, but Gould also starred in classic sketches like The Killer Bees and this cold open that skewered his Academy Award-nominated performance in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

9. Tom Hanks

8-time host Tom Hanks is one of the biggest movie stars willing to make himself look absolutely absurd on the SNL stage. Sketches like this testicle-themed music video and his memorable turn on Celebrity Jeopardy as himself bear witness to his total lack of pretension.

10. Paul Simon

Appearing a total of 13 times as a host, a musical guest, or just to stop by, Paul Simon is the longest-running honorary cast member, first appearing in 1975, and most recently in 2011. Though his turkey suit routine is one of SNL's most played sketches, his appearance at SNL's first post-9/11 show was one of the most emotionally-powerful moments of the show's whole run.

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